Cloudy with a chance of lizards: The National Weather Service this week warned South Florida residents of unusual precipitation.
“Don’t be surprised if you see iguanas falling from the trees tonight,” the NWS Miami branch tweeted on Tuesday, when overnight temperatures dipped to near freezing.
Cold-blooded animals, iguanas slow down or even become immobile when temperatures fall below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. (Me, too, lizards. Me, too.)
“They may fall from trees,” NWS Miami warned. “But they are not dead.”
At least, not until unsuspecting passersby murder them in alarm.
January temperatures in the 30s and 40s are not unusual for much of the U.S. It is, after all, the dead of winter.
But freezing temps in Miami are basically unheard of; the city’s average minimum forecast is 61 degrees Fahrenheit—its lowest all year. A few times each decade, Miami may see a winter night fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Which is exactly what happened in early 2018, when Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino snapped a photo of a stunned iguana—sprawled upside down, four little feet in the air—next to his swimming pool after it fell from a tree.
The New York Times picked up the story—and Cerabino’s image.
By all accounts, the lizard survived its crash.
Despite its inaccessible blue-on-blue text, the graphic NSW Miami tweeted provides a lot of useful information. As well as a puzzling illustration.
Weather Channel Managing Editor Eric Zerkel pointed out the entirely unnecessary icon hiding at the bottom.
“Those are more for covering your hands,” NWS Miami responded. “But interesting take. We didn’t think of that!”
Frankly, I’ve never met a Floridian (myself included) who even owns a pair of gloves. Wishful thinking!
More on Geek.com:
- Huge, Invasive Lizard Finally Captured in Florida
- X-Rays Reveal Hungry Lizard Mistook Golf Balls for Chicken Eggs
- ‘Monster’ 18-Foot, 98-Pound Python Captured in Florida
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